Postmortem and Memorial Photographs

The Califorina Museum of Photography acquired its first postmortem photograph in the 1980s, and curated an exhibition of postmortem photography in 1989 ("Memento Mori"). The majority of the CMP's postmortem photographs are from the Steve and Mary DeGenaro postmortem and memorial photography collection, which was donated to the CMP between 2009 and 2011. The DeGenaros' gift was the focus of a 2014 exhibition ("But Not Forgotten").